Black Churches Organize as Centers of Reconstruction Community

After emancipation, Black churches exploded in number and influence. The AME Church grew from 20,000 members in 1856 to 400,000 by 1880. Newly independent Black Baptist and Methodist congregations served as schools, polling stations, community centers, and political organizing hubs. White supremacist groups specifically targeted Black churches for arson precisely because of their central role in Black civic life.